A beautiful frozen lemon dessert made of cream and lemon juice, served in a lemon shell. An eye-catching make ahead dessert perfect to serve at a dinner party or a ladies luncheon. This Lemon lush dessert recipe is crisp, creamy and a true treat.
Let’s Brighten Up January with These Lemon Snowballs.
Is it just me, or is January a boring month?
I could blame Thanksgiving and Christmas. November and December hurl us into a whirlwind of non-stop magical activity. January most certainly brings that to a screeching halt.
January: The Monday morning of the year. The quit carbs, stop drinking, crowded gym month. On top of feeling cold and fat, there’s the glut of “new year-new me” posts on Facebook.
All the gourmet cheese is gone from the fridge.
We start to really notice that it’s pitch dark at 5:00 p.m. and that the ice on the sidewalks is dangerous.
And it’s such a loooooooooong month. Actually no longer than six others, but don’t you find yourself wondering “is it February yet”?
I had to make something yellow, something bright and snappy, something lemony. Something lip-puckering zesty. Something fun!
These Lemon Lush Dessert Cups were just what the Doctor ordered. A cross between lemon ice cream and lemon sorbet, you’re going to flip over this dessert.
Frozen Lemon Dessert Recipe
A very long time ago, my friend Linda served this beautiful lemon dessert as the grand finale of a dinner of simple grilled lamb chops with her Tree House Salad.
A light meal that was punctuated by an exclamation mark with these impressive little lemon cups.
Frozen lemon cream served in a hollowed out frozen lemon half will definitely get ones attention. Linda called them Lemon Snowballs, I call them lemon lushes, because it they are simply luscious.
These lemon lush dessert cups perfect for entertaining, because you can totally make them ahead. Let’s take a look.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- A mixture of heavy cream, milk and sugar.
- Eight lemons.
- Lemon zest.
- Lemon juice.
- Fruit and mint for garnish. Blueberries or raspberries work well here.
How to Make These Lemon Snowballs
Make the Lemon Boats
- Begin by gathering your army of lemons. You’ll need eight.
- Take three of those lemons and cut them lengthwise to resemble boats.
- Slice a small sliver of skin from the bottom of each boat so the lemons will sit level.
- Remove the pulp from the lemon halves. A knife and melon baller work well here.
- Once the lemon halves are hollowed out, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.
Prepare the Lemon Cream Lush
- Using the remaining lemons, zest a couple of lemons for a total of two teaspoons of zest.
- Juice lemons for ¾ cup lemon juice (about four lemons).
- In a large freezer safe bowl combine lemon zest, lemon juice, milk and cream.
- Add sugar and stir very well to combine ingredients.
- Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for eight hours, or overnight.
Fill the Lemon Boats
- Remove the lemon boats and lemon lush from freezer.
- Using an ice cream scoop, scrape across the top of the lemon lush and place the sheets of the frozen dessert into the frozen lemon shells.
- Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.
- To serve: Garnish with blueberries, or raspberries and small mint leaves.
Recipe for Lemon Lush Dessert Cups
You’ll be very proud to serve these lemon snowballs at your next brunch, lunch, or even light Summer dinner. Easy to make once you get the stubborn flesh removed from the lemon. Just be patient. Use a sharp knife to cut around the edge of the lemon and then dig in.
I hope you give this fun frozen lemon dessert recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite lemon dessert recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
Don’t want to mess with the fresh lemon shells? Simply serve in a chilled ramekin garnished with mint leaves and blueberries.
More Fresh Fruit Dessert Recipes
- Strawberry Tart Recipe with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
- Fresh Peach Blueberry Pie
- Cinnamon Pecan Peach Bread
And if you have a sweet tooth, you won’t want to miss my dessert category. You’ll find lots of fun approachable recipes, including the most popular dessert recipe on my site for French Pear Tart Bourdaloue.
Lemon Lush Dessert Cups
Ingredients
- 8 large lemons
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice about 4 lemons
- 1 cup milk whole fat
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup blueberries or raspberries for garnish
- mint leaves for grnish
Instructions
- Begin by gathering your army of lemons. You'll need 8
- Take three of those lemons and cut them horizontally lengthwise. They'll resemble boats .Cut a small piece of skin from the bottom of each boat. This is so the lemons will sit level.
- Remove the pulp from the lemon halves. Use a knife and melon baller works well here.Once the lemon halves are hollowed out, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.
- Using the remaining lemons, zest a couple of lemons for a total of 2 teaspoons
- Juice lemons for ¾ cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- In a large freezer safe bowl combine lemon zest, lemon juice, milk and cream. Add sugar and stir very well to combine ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove the lemon boats and lemon lush from freezer. Using an ice cream scoop, scrape across the top of the lemon lush and place the sheets of the frozen dessert into the frozen lemon shells.
- Cover with plastic wrap. To serve: Remove from freezer and garnish with blueberries, or raspberries and small mint leaves.
Notes
Nutrition
Lemon Lush Dessert … It’s whats for dessert
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Pamela Marich says
Our kitchen team made this dessert for a church dinner. It was wonderful! I came home immediately and made some for myself. It’s so refreshing and delicious!
Lea Ann Brown says
Hi Pamela. Thanks so much for taking the time to write and let me know that you enjoyed this lemon dessert. It’s a great dessert for Summer and one of my “go-to’s” for entertaining. Make it a delicious day.
mjskitchen says
I love every kind of lemon desserts. They are always so refreshing. This one looks delicious and very, very lemony. Unfortunately, I’ll have to wait for a little warmer weather to try it. I do not handle cold food well in the winter. Very creative to put them in the lemon shells.
Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina says
January is just crazy for me with spring semester classes starting up. But it certainly my least favorite month due to weather. Your lemon snowflakes would certainly brighten these gray-sky, gloomy days of January. Great recipe Lea Ann!!!
Roz
xo
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
These sound fabulous! And so pretty. So true about January . I am missing gourmet cheese also!